A lot of stress is put onto our feet daily as we walk, standing and waiting at long queues to buy food, supermarkets, bus queues, etc. The feet can handle heavy load but too much stress might put them over their usual limit. Foot and ankle may be affected when you strike your feet on heavy surface. It may even develop to cause excessive heel pain. Heel pain is caused by plantar fasciitis, also called heel spur syndrome because of the presence of a spur. There are also a lot of causes of heel pain; it may be due to stress, fracture, tendonitis, nerve irritation or a cyst, which rarely happens.
Wearing of non supportive footwear on hard, flat surfaces puts abnormal strain on your heels. This is common to people who have jobs which requires them to stand in long hours. Obesity is a common condition too.
Because there are several causes of heel pain, it must be properly diagnosed so that appropriate treatment can be directed.
If your heel starts to ache, these tips may be helpful in relieving pain. One common way is resting your feet from all the stress it got. If you feel you have been putting too much stress on your feet, take a day or two as a day off and let your feet rest. This usually helps to eliminate severe pain and allows the feet to cool down.
Putting ice packs also helps lessen the symptoms of heel pain. Icing an injured body part is an important treatment. It is very effective for sprains, strains and injuries.
Another helpful way is stretching and exercises. By this, it helps the tissues that surround the heel bone. Exercising early in the morning and in the evenings often help patients feel better speedily.
If pain is too much for you handle, anti inflammatory medications should be prescribed under consultation from the doctor. There are lots of over the counter medicines to decrease heel pain and inflammation. However, it is always best to see the doctor first to get the correct medications you need.
Shoe inserts are helpful too. These shoe inserts are frequently the key to successful treatment of heel pain. The shoe inserts often permit patients to continue their routine activities without heel pain. These products don't cost too much but often help relieve different types of foot pain. Few of them are heel cups, arch supports, heel wedges and metatarsal pads.
Heel cups are great to reduce the symptoms of heel pain. Different patients prefer different products in the treatment of heel pain but most patients find heel cups effective. These heel cups have gels, which provides padding and are worn in shoes during work and exercise.
Arch supports can be helpful in the treatment of variety of foot problems, including overpronation and flatfoot. Arch supports don't alter foot mechanics but they can diminish symptoms in some cases.
Heel Wedges are inserts that are set in the back of the shoe. These wedges raise the heel and can take pressure off the hindfoot.
Metatarsal pads on the other hand help decrease pressure under the ball of the foot. Make sure to use the appropriate product for you.
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